It is a well known problem that animals, such as raccoons, are adept at opening garbage cans as by removing the lids of the garbage cans even when such lids may be closed by latching handles.
It has been known to provide an elastic “bungee” cord across the top of a garbage can to hook onto the handles of garbage cans and to draw the handles to a latched orientation as, for example, in some cases to draw the handles together across the top of the lid. Such elastic cords have the disadvantage that they are dangerous to open and provide a hazard to persons, particularly garbage men, to empty the trash containers. On removal of the elastic cords, the elastic cords can snap back into position with their hooks to engage or catch a garbage man's hands, arm, fingers or face. As well, the length of the elastic cords provides a hazard which can be caught on a person handling the garbage can or its lid.
Previously known systems for securing garbage cans suffer the disadvantage that they are either difficult to use or provide hazards in use as to garage men and others.